Terry weave fabric



Get. 20, 1953 Filed June 50, 1948 G. MILLS 2,655,950

TERRY WEAVE FABRIC 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. GEORGE. L. MIL L5 Patented Oct. 20, 1953 TERRY W'EAVE} memo George L. Mills, Auburn,

Manufacturing Company,

Maine Maine, assignor to Bates a corporation of Application June 30, 1948, Serial No. 36,120

10 Claims.

The present invention relates to a terry weave fabric having unrelated patterns on thetwo sides thereof and a method of producing the same.

The term unrelated patterns, as used herein, is intended to mean patterns that are identical or different without being negatives of one another, as well as patterns that are not both solid.

Terry weave fabrics having a loop pile on one or both sides have long been known to the art. When the loops cover the entire surface of one side of the fabric to form a solid pattern, the pattern on the other side is likewise solid, i. e., it is either covered entirely with loops or is entirely devoid of loops. When the loops on one side are arranged to form a given pattern in the form of stripes, checks, figures, or the like, the terry fabrics of the prior art have related patterns on the other side formed by loops at the places not covered by loops on the first side, i. e., the pattern on the back of the fabric is a negative or reverse of the pattern formed on the face of the fabric.

It has been considered necessary in the past to form terry fabrics in this manner because the extra warp yarns that form the loops on one or both sides of the fabric enter the loom from a warp beam, which, of necessity, requires that each of the extra warp yarns move forwardly as a unit. Thus, for example, if one warp yarn is to form a loop on the face of a fabric and no loop is desired, on the face of the fabric next to the loop formed by the first warp yarn, then the adjacent warp yarn must form 'a loop at the back of the fabric in order that both the extra warp yarns advance at the same speed.

It has now been found that it is possible to weave a terry fabric having unrelated patterns on the two sides of the fabric. This has the advantage and desirability, from the interior decorating viewpoint when the fabric is utilized as a bedspread, for example, of giving the bedspread an attractive appearance when either side is exposed to view.

In accordance with the method of this invention, unrelated patterns are applied to the two sides of a fabric by weaving with the ground of warp and weft threads a plurality of extra yarns, which, when heavier than the ground threads and formed into loops in the manner conventionally used in terry weaving, have the appearance of swirl knots. To allow for the difference in the length of adjacent extra yarns required at any given point where some yarns form loops and others do not, the extra yarns entering the 100m move forward individually. Where the arrange- 2 merit of loops is such that the difference in lengths of various extra yarns increases as the fabric is Woven, it is'preferable to feed the extra yarns to the loom from individual cones or the like placed in a creel. In this method, conventional advancement of the loop yarns is unn cessary because patterns of loops are formed from heavier extra yarns. Where the arrangement of loops is such that the consumption of some extra yarns is greater than that of others at a given moment in the weaving operation but becomes substantially equal after a given length of fabric has been woven, such as for example, when a checkerboard pattern is formed, the extra yarns may be fed in the same manner or from a single beam that is advanced mechanically and over individual dancer rolls that take up the slack of the individual extra yarns. By either of these methods, some of the extra yarns may be advanced a length sufiicient to permit them to form loops at a given moment, as a result of friction between the advancing reed and the heavier extra yarns form= ing loops at that particular moment, whereas the remaining yarns may be advanced a length insufficient to permit the formation of loops at said given moment without affecting the tension that must be applied to either of them.

The extra yarns, which are advantageously woven parallel with the warp threads of the ground, are preferably heavier than the ground threads. In one embodiment, the individual extra warp yarns are woven into the ground in such a manner as to form terry loops at predetermined intervals, each loop consisting of one or more such heavier yarns that twist themselves into a swirl knot. In another embodiment, groups of two or more yarns are twisted together and then woven with the fabric likewise to form twisted swirl knots.

When the extra yarns are woven into the ground, and especially when they are untwisted, they blend into the ground except at those points, on one or both sides of the fabric, where they form twisted terry loops. When the extra yarns are untwisted, floated at the back of the ground and are bound thereto at regular intervals either by the loops formed on the face or by the passage thereunder of one or more transverse weft threads, the floating extra warp yarns give the back of the fabric a substantially unbroken striped appearance that does not suggest and is unrelated to the pattern formed on the face by the twisted terry loops. On the other hand, when the extra yarns are composed of a plurality of twisted yarns, the floating extra warp yarns give the back 3 of the fabric a substantially unbroken corded appearance that likewise does not suggest and is unrelated to the pattern formed on the face by the twisted terry loops.

When it is desired to apply loops in the form of a pattern to one side only of the fabric, it is preferable that the extra warp yarn be untvvisted and Woven in with the ground so that when viewed from the back, the fabric will have a solid pattern, i. e., the appearance of a foundation weave such as a plain, twill or satin weave giving no indication of the pattern formed by the loops on the face.

Figure 1 shows a portion of the terry weave fabric having a figured pattern on one side and a striped pattern on the other, a corner being turned over to make both sides visible;

Figure 2 is a schematic cross section on a very much enlarged scale through the fabric at section line 2-2 of Figure l; and

Figure 3 shows a portion of a terry weave fabric having a figured pattern on one side and a corded pattern on the other side, a corner being turned over to make both sides visible;

Figure 4 is a schematic cross section on a very much enlarged scale through the fabric at section line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 shows a portion of a terry weave fabric having a figured pattern on one side and asolid pattern having the appearance of a foundation weave on the other side, a corner being turned over to make both sides visible;

Figure 6 is a schematic cross section on a very much enlarged scale, through the fabric at section line 66 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a schematic cross section, likewise on a very much enlarged scale, illustrating the construction of a terry weave fabric having a figured pattern on one side and a solid pattern of terry loops on the other side; and

Figure 8 is a similar cross section through a fabric illustrating a construction having unrelated terry loop patterns on the two sides thereof which are identical with one another without be ing negatives of one another.

In the fabric illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawing, the extra Warp yarn H}, which is preferably heavy, twisted and compressible, floats at the back over twelve transverse threads i I of the ground [2 and is bound to the ground by passing over the thirteenth transverse thread. When terry loops, having the appearance of swirl knots l3 are to be formed on the face of the fabric, however, the extra Warp yarn l0 floats at the back over nine transverse threads of the ground and at the face over four threads of the ground. Due to the resiliency of the extra warp yarn and the high degree of twist in the loops or swirl knots, the latter, when viewed from above, fill in substantially the entire space between them. The passage at regular intervals of the extra warp yarn over single transverse threads of the ground, however, is hardly visible on the face of the fabric. On the back, the twisted extra warp yarn forms a substantially unbroken corded pattern which has an appearance at the places where it is bound by four transverse threads, i. e., where there is a swirl knot on the face of the fabric, that is for all practical purposes indistinguishable from the places at which the extra warp yarn is bound to the ground by a single transverse thread, i. e., where there is no swirl knot on the face of the fabric.

The type of fabric illustrated in Figures 8 and fill 4 of the drawing is particularly useful as a bedspread material. In a typical bedspread made in accordance with this invention, the ground is a plain weave wherein the warp threads are forties, two ply, with twist multiples of four and fifty-four hundredths in the single yarn before plying and three and thirty-seven hundredths in the ply yarn; the ply yarn being twisted in the opposite direction from the twist in the single yarn. The weft threads are twenties, single, with -a twist multiple of three and fifty-five hundredths. The extra warp or terry yarn is two and one-half, three ply, in which the twist multiple of the single yarn before plying is three and twenty-five hundredths and the yarn is plied with a twist multiple of three in a direction opposite to the twist in the single yarn. In the above description the number given to the yarns refers to the number of hanks of 840 yards required to make one pound of yarn. The twist multiples indicate the number of turns per inch in the yarns which can be computed by multiplying the square root of the yarn number by the stated twist multiple.

The yarn numbering system and the use of twist multiples above, is the method ordinarily used in cotton manufacturing to described cotton yarns of different twists, weights and number of plies. When formed into terry loops on the face of the fabric, the terry yarn forms swirl knots each having an overall diameter of about of an inch.

The fabric illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 is substantially similar in appearance and construction to that illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 except that the extra warp yarn IE! is untwisted and forms, on the back of the fabric, a substantially unbroken striped pattern instead of a corded pattern, likewise unrelated to the pattern formed on the face by the terry loops I3.

The fabric illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 is substantially similar in appearance and construction to those illustrated in Figures 1-4 except that the extra warp yarns ID are woven in with the ground so that when viewed from the back,

the fabric has a solid pattern having the appearance of a foundation weave unrelated to the pattern formed on the face by the terry loops I3.

Typical constructions of fabrics having a figured pattern of terry loops formed on the face and a solid or identical terry loop pattern on the back are illustrated schematically in Figures 7 and 8, respectively, the loops 13a and I 4 forming the solid terry loop pattern on the back of the construction illustrated in Figure '7 and the loops 13a of Figure 8 corresponding to and forming on the back a pattern identical to the pattern formed on the face by loops l3.

It is to be understood that the fabric shown in the drawing and described in the example may be modified in innumerable ways as will readily become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this description. Thus, for example, the extra warp yarn may float over less or more than four transverse ground threads at the places where the swirl knot is formed and it may be bound at the back of the fabric at intervals greater or less than every thirteenth pick. Furthermore, the extra yarn may be of the same weight as either of the ground threads. All such changes and modifications are intended to come within the scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A terry weave fabric having a woven groundof warp and weft threads and a plurality of heavier and twisted extra warp yarns woven with the ground and parallel to the warp threads thereof, said yarns forming pile areas of twisted loops on one side only of the fabric and being alternately bound to the ground and floated at the other side over a plurality of weft threads, said floated portions forming a substantially unbroken corded pattern and said loops being arranged to form a figured pattern.

2. A terry weave fabric having a woven ground of warp and weft threads and a plurality of heavier, twisted yarns woven with the ground and parallel to one of the sets of threads thereof, said yarns forming pile areas of twisted terry loops on one side of the fabric and being alternately bound to the ground and floated at the other side over a plurality of ground threads, said floated portions forming a substantially unbroken corded pattern and said loops being arranged to form a pattern unrelated to said corded pattern.

3. A terry weave fabric having a woven ground of warp and weft threads, and a plurality of extra warp yarns woven with the ground and parallel to the warp threads thereof, said yarns forming pile areas of terry loops defining a figured pattern on at least one side of the fabric and being bound, between said pile areas, to the ground by weft threads, said fabric having unrelated patterns formed by said extra warp yarns on the two sides thereof and the figured pattern on at least one side of the fabric having pattern borders no substantial portions of which are parallel to the warp.

4. A terry weave fabric having a woven ground of warp and weft threads, and a plurality of extra warp yarns woven with the ground parallel to the warp threads thereof and forming unrelated patterns on the two sides thereof, said yarns forming pile areas of terry loops on one side only of the fabric and being bound, between said pile areas, to the ground by weft threads, said loops being arranged to form a figured pattern having pattern borders no substantial portions of which are parallel to the Warp.

5. A terry weave fabric having a woven ground of warp and weft threads, and a plurality of extra warp yarns woven with the ground parallel to the warp threads thereof, said yarns forming pile areas of twisted terry loops on one side only of the fabric and being woven in with the ground, said woven in portions of the extra warp yarns blending in with the ground to form a solid pattern having the appearance of a foundation weave on one side and said loops being arranged to form a figured pattern on the other side, said figured pattern having pattern borders no sub- 6 stantial portions of which are parallel to the warp.

6. A terry weave fabric having a woven ground of warp and weft threads and a plurality of heavier, untwisted extra warp yarns woven with the ground and parallel to the warp threads thereof, said yarns forming. pile areas of twisted terry loops on one side only of the fabric and being alternately bound to the ground and floated at the other side over a plurality of weft threads, said floated portions forming a substantially unbroken stripe pattern and said loops being arranged to form a figured pattern.

'7. A terry weave fabric having a woven ground of warp and weft threads, and a plurality of extra warp yarns woven with the ground parallel to the warp threads thereof, said yarns forming pile areas of terry loops on both sides of the fabric and being bound, between said pile areas, to the ground by weft threads, said loops being arranged to form unrelated patterns on the two sides thereof.

8. A terry weave fabric having a woven ground of warp and weft threads and a plurality of heavier extra warp yarns woven with the ground and parallel to the warp threads thereof, said yarns forming pile areas of twisted terry loops on both sides of the fabric, the loops on one side being arranged to form a figured pattern and the loops on the other side being arranged to form a solid pattern.

9. A terry weave fabric having a woven ground of warp and weft threads and a plurality of heavier extra warp yarns woven with the ground and parallel to the warp threads thereof, said yarns forming pile areas of twisted terry loops arranged in identical and unrelated figured patterns on the face and back of the fabric.

10. A terry weave fabric having a woven ground of warp and weft threads and a plurality of heavier extra warp yarns woven with the ground and parallel to the Warp threads thereof, said yarns forming pile areas of twisted terry loops arranged in different and unrelated figured patterns on the face and back of the fabric.

GEORGE L. MILLS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 350,372 Leake Oct. 5, 1886 376,664 Leake Jan. 1'7, 1888 509,138 Raab Nov. 21, 1893 1,766,805 Wakefield June 24, 1930 1,925,459 Parker et a1 Sept. 5, 1933 2,012,719 I-Iolt Aug. 27, 1935 

